Crock Pot Sausage and Potato Soup

I threw this in the crocko before I left for work this mornin...it was super good...4 out of 5 approved! (And middle kid never approves)! It's easy, it's stuff I had on hand, and used stuff from my freezer so that was good too!  It goes like this...add the following to a crock (I used my 7 qt.)
1lb. of ground meat, browned and drained.  (I don't care what it is, beef, turkey, deer, anything!)  (I used sausage, hence the name)
about 4-6 medium potatoes cubed
shredded carrots( I bet I used a cup, I had them frozen from the garden in 2 cup packages and used half)
4 c. of chicken stock
1 chopped onion (I keep onion chopped in the freezer)
4T. of butter
1/4c flour
and whatever seasonings you please, we are plain eaters so I used celery salt (you could use celery), and salt and pepper, and some parsley
I turned my slow cooker to "warm" and left it all day.  I think 6 hours on low would be good. When you get home or 30 minutes before serving add:
8 oz. of shredded cheese (I used velveeta, cause that makes everything better)
11/2c. of milk or cream. 
and simmer until the cheese is melted!  It sounds like a lot but with all the stuff from the garden, I didn't buy a thing for this...and it was REALLY good! 

PS: Photo was before I left for work...pre cheese and milk!

Things I LOVE!

I think  will start posting randomly about a few things I love...like silicone bakng cups!  They are awesome!  NON-stick, come right off our muffins, and I am never out of paper liners!  Love 'em!  ;)

PS: These are just muffin mixes (just add water) that I made this morning, a quick and easy breakfast and the kids can grab one or two for snack to take to school!  ;) 

Home Made Flour Tortillas

I made my beloved breakfast burritos this weekend and made a double batch of the "guts" only to find out I only had one package of tortillas.  I couldn't believe it, but once I got over the shock, I hopped online to read about making my own, the recipe I found was here.  And much to my amazement, mine turned out exactly like hers!  They are a little thicker than store bought ones, but much tastier and of course, cheaper and more readily available with a little menu planning!  I think in the future I will make a double batch, and of course TRY to roll them thinner.  On a side note:  I used my stand mixer to mix my dough and it worked awesome!  

Banana Cake

Here is a great "quick" dessert.  It is so simple!  You will need:

1 box cake mix (white or yellow will do, I used french vanilla)

1/2c. brown sugar

1t. cinnamon

1c. mashed banana

and the egg/oil suggested on the cake box

mix all ingredients and bake as directed!  This cake is so yummy(and so gone)!  I frosted it with basic cream cheese frosting and it only lasted 2 days here!  Hope you get a chance to try this, it's a nice "addition" to your basic cake mix. 

Spring...sort of!

I was so excited last week when the weather was nice, I thought to myself, I need to get everything in this house done so I can be out and enjoying the spring weather next week!  Apparently mother nature knows I didn't get it done so she turned the heat down!  It was "freezing" at 50degrees today!  We had a great day, I hung some clothes out on the line(I know but I really like hanging my clothes out), went with Wade to tag calves, and last but not least, looked at 3 options FOR MY CHICKEN COOP!  I am so excited...2 of them are old "pump houses" and the third is a calf shelter.  Pros of the "pump house" is that both of them already have water and electricity,and are close to the house.  Cons are that they are permanent, and need work!  The calf shelter can be moved around and would be ready to go, but no water or electricity...so, I will keep you posted as to what happens!

My love of "Dutch Honey"

This is something I absolutely LOVE and almost HATE to eat pancakes, waffles, or french toast without it!  I have heard it called a number of things, and it seems like the recipes vary from family to family but the one I use is this:

1 c. cream
1 c. white/light "karo" syrup
1 c. packed brown sugar

(I have also seen it with white sugar and dark syrup, but I have never tried it!  I would say if that's what you have on hand, go for it!)

You mix these in a glass bowl and microwave on high for 5-10 minutes.  Serve warm and store the extra in a jar in the fridge.  When you want to use the "left overs" just microwave it again for 30 seconds- 1 minute and shake it up or stir it!  This will also get you by in a pinch if you are out of maple syrup!

DIY Laundry Booster

This is something I have been using for quite awhile now, and I happened upon it by "accident".  At one point in time I thought it might be handy to keep the items needed to make laundry soap on hand...you know...just in case!  Well, I gathered the "supplies", made one batch, and never used any of it again!  I decided that if I can get a good deal on "cheap" laundry soap, that would be better than my homemade stuff, so I didn't bother to make it ever again.  I continued to use whatever laundry soap I could get on sale.  One day when I was cleaning out my bathroom cabinet, I decided that I would mix all the stuff together and just use it as a "booster" for really dirty loads and it works AWESOME!  I rarely spend more than $2-$3 for a jug of laundry soap(and I am not picky about brand at all, I use PUREX the most, because of coupon deals, but will use ANYTHING), which is just fine for our clothes that don't get super dirty anyway, and when they are really dirty, I add about 1/4c. of the booster and it works awesome!  So here is what I use:


1 Large container of "SUN" oxygen activated cleaner (cheap oxy-clean)
1 Box of 20-mule team borax
1 box of Arm and Hammer washing soda

And that's it, you can buy all of those in the laundry aisle at Wal Mart for about $3 each!  Mix them together in a large container and there you have it! This makes a large batch that should last you quite awhile!  A  small rubbermaid tub works great to store it, and I have a smaller container with a scoop next to the washer. Add about 1/4-1/2 c. to a load of laundry, along with your regular soap!  I use this in my HE machine, I just toss it right in the "tub" before I throw the clothes in!